Santa’s Magic Toy Bag was produced in 1983 and hasn’t been seen on any home video format since it was shown on the Showtime Network. This is a fun little film created by Paul Fusco, the man behind the hit series Alf, which aired from 1986-1990.
This isn’t an animated movie. It is comprised of puppets. They sing and share a fun story about a misunderstood apprentice elf. Little Sherman wants to be an official elf, but finds apprenticing is much harder than he ever imagined.

 

Sherman is a disaster in the making. He makes a mess of everything he tries. Or does he? This little guy – whose best friend is a jack-in-the-box – feels out of place. He says he can’t win because he doesn’t fit in. Sherman gets transferred from every department he is assigned to – wrapping, making toys, the mailroom, and even the bakery. But Santa knows all Sherman needs is a little time and encouragement.
There are some fun songs in the film, and the message to viewers, via Sherman, is to believe in yourself. Sherman also finally believes in the magic of Christmas.

 

The DVD contains a sing-along as well as some cute little bloopers. There is also “Sherman’s Design Book” which illustrates the interesting and creative toy designs this little guy imagines. Sherman has a way of combining two things into one. He makes an elephantone (combination elephant and telephone), an electric kite (kite with electric fan), and more.

 

The movie is short – 30 minutes – but it is fun and filled with heart.

 

Santa’s Magic Toy Bag is not rated however it is appropriate for all ages.

 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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The newest edition of the classic movie Holiday Inn is something film lovers will cherish. Besides the wonderful movie, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, there are plenty of bonus features that give viewers a lot of insight about the actors, movie, and the new technology that was used to colorize this famous film.

 

Both the original black and white version of this 1942 classic and a new colorized version come on the same Blu-ray disc. Some hard-core movie buffs do not want to see their films colorized, but other viewers do. With this edition you get your choice. I truly enjoyed watching this movie in color. Having grown up seeing it in black and white every year at the holiday season, seeing it in color is a new experience. And it’s a pleasant one at that.

 

The story features Crosby and Astaire as Jim and Ted, song and dance men who split up when Jim (Crosby) decides to leave the entertainment business and retire to a farm in Connecticut. What he discovers is that life is boring on the farm so he turns it into an Inn, which is only open on holidays. That way he can work a few days a year and rest the remainder of the time. It’s a win-win situation for him.

 

He hires Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds) to co-star with him in the holiday shows. What he gets is more than just a co-star. There are plenty of laughs, sentimental moments, and a lot of singing and dancing throughout the film.

 

The movie is from an idea by Irving Berlin who wrote the songs. Every holiday has a different song, and the Christmas song is “White Christmas,” of course. If you thought the song came from the show White Christmas, you were wrong. It was penned for Holiday Inn. The filmmakers believed the Valentine’s Day song, “Be Careful, It’s My Heart,” would be the breakout song from the film, according to the PBS documentary Bing Crosby: Rediscovered. But it was “White Christmas” that stole the hearts of viewers and has become a beloved song worldwide.

 

Anytime while watching the movie, press the Pop-Up Menu button on your remote control to see some bonus features. These are all interesting. In “A Couple of Song and Dance Men,” Fred Astaire’s daughter Ava and film historian Ken Barnes discuss the relationship between Crosby and Astaire, and the two men’s backgrounds and careers.

 

Another bonus, “All-Singing All-Dancing” looks at the history of song and dance in film.

 

“Colorizing a Classic” shows how the film was colorized using the latest technology. This was a very intricate process and took six weeks to complete. It’s amazing to see how they went frame by frame, colorized the foreground characters first then used a different technique to automatically colorize the background. This is something tech buffs will enjoy watching. It’s creative and interesting to see. And the research they did to get the colors perfect as well as hunting down any information about the actual wardrobe is astounding. For instance, the Christmas dress worn by Reynolds was thought to be red, but on further investigation they discovered it was gold, so they changed it to gold to make it reflect the actual dress worn when the film was produced. Viewers see the gold beaded dress in all its gorgeous glitz on the screen.

 

Besides the two versions of the film and all the bonus features, this edition comes with a Digital HD download code.

 

Holiday Inn is the quintessential holiday film. It’s warm and fuzzy, with a lot of great music and now, with the colorized version, plenty of sparkles and colors.

 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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Mike Myers takes his first spin behind the camera directing this documentary about legendary Hollywood manager Shep Gordon. Gordon might not be a household name, but his clients are.

 

Shep Gordon is described as “the quintessential manager.” In the film Actor Michael Douglas says he is filled with “compassion.” Interviews with Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, Anne Murray, Tom Arnold, Alice Cooper and a host of other celebs as well as comments and insight from Gordon himself provide a complete picture of the life and times of this Hollywood icon.

 

Gordon had an interesting rise to fame. He majored in sociology then tried his hand, albeit for a very short time, at being a probation officer. He wanted to help kids. But that didn’t last and soon he was on his way to Hollywood where he accidentally met several (soon to be) giants in the entertainment industry. Janice Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, and Jim Morrison became best buds with Gordon, and he joined their sex, drugs, and rock and roll lifestyle.

Shep Gordon singlehandedly crafted Alice Cooper and he orchestrated PR stunts to raise international attention for the singer, who turned out to be his lifelong friend. “Family is important,” Gordon acknowledges, and his clients were, at the time, the closest thing to a family he had around him in California.

The techniques he used to propel public interest in his clients are amazing. Imagine gathering a group of A-list stars – which by the way included John Lennon – together so his new client Anne Murray could be photographed with them. This one photo basically launched the high-flying career of this Canadian singer.

 

Alice Cooper and Anne Murray? Who could be more opposite? It didn’t matter to Gordon. He made sure his clients were well cared for and had widespread publicity. That is the sign of a great manager.

 

“He is a protector,” states Sylvester Stallone. “He keeps the wolf from the door.”

 

True, this is not a film for everyone. It is, however, an interesting look at a man who made an impact in the entertainment industry. It was an official selection at many film festivals.
This is a documentary for adults only. It shows the excesses that were part of the Hollywood culture in the 1960s and 1970s and is not recommended for young viewers. Supermensch is rated R for language, some sexual references, nudity and drug use.

 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

Follow her on Twitter

Like her on Facebook